Abstract This paper takes a look at the Jazz Age during the twenties in America and how the music both reflected and inspired great social change. The author discusses the history of Jazz music, how it originated and spread and how it came to express the nature of society.
From the Paper "The Twenties was a crazy time in America. There was crime and violence, illegal alcohol and drugs, and dancing and jazz music. Despite the depression and prohibition, jazz music was able to lift the spirits of Americans and get their knees knocking and their arms flailing. Jazz spread like wildfire through the nation, and taught Americans how to make the best of a "depressing" situation. Some jazz represents the spontaneity and confusion of the decade while the more serious jazz shows the underlying rhythm of the twenties. If one listens to jazz music from the 1920s one can sense the mood of the times, and feel the excitement that jazz brought to the nation."
Abstract Twyla Tharp is one of the world's leading choreographers, working with many of the world's great ballet companies and also continuing to choreograph and direct for film and television. She was born in Portland, Indiana, but moved with her parents to Southern California when she was still a child.
From the Paper "Twyla Tharp is one of the world's leading choreographers, working with many of the world's great ballet companies and also continuing to choreograph and direct for film and television. She was born in Portland, Indiana, but moved with her parents to Southern California when she was still a child. There, her father owned a construction firm and a Ford dealership, and her mother was a piano teacher who started Twyla on piano lessons when she was only two. Twyla began dance classes when she was only four, and within a short time she was studying every kind of dance available: ballet, tap, jazz, modern. Her mother was determined that Twyla would become accomplished in as many fields as possible, and she also had the child take baton lessons, drum lessons, violin and viola lessons, as well as classes in painting, shorthand, and French ("Biography: Twyla ..."
Abstract The paper gives a history of Russian-born Serge Diaghilev and explains how his unconventional ideas of ballet led to the creation of the Ballets Russes in France. The paper lists the people associated with the company and explains the factors that contributed to the success of the Ballets Russes. The author describes the incredible impact that the Ballets Russes had on the world of ballet.
From the Paper "Serge Diaghilev was born of Russian nobility in Perm, Russia, on March 19, 1872. In 1890 his family moved to Saint Petersburg, and at the university there, Diaghilev was supposed to study law, but he soon became enamored with the arts and realized that was where his future lay."
Abstract This paper explores the social, artistic, and religious aspects of dance throughout history and how these forms of dance have been a part of human society since prehistoric times. The paper also looks at the health benefits derived from dancing and how dance has been used to tell stories, to record history, and as a form of therapy.
From the Paper "The skill of dance today is often thought to be reserved for the participants of higher arts such as ballet or for young participants in hip-hop and rave dances. However, dance is an integral part of the history and culture of all humans, and remains alive in many forms within people of all walks of life. ?It is the wedding of movement to music. It spans culture from soaring ballet leaps to the simple swaying at the school prom,? (Burke) and every kind of human movements, from walking to breathing, are elements that make up dancing. However, dance actually ?goes beyond the functional purposes of the movements used in work or athletics in order to express emotions, moods, or ideas; tell a story; serve religious, political, economic, or social needs; or simply be an experience that is pleasurable, exciting, or aesthetically valuable.? (Art) Dance is an important and beneficial art in which to participate and to support because of its rich cultural history and diversity, spiritual significance, and health benefits."
Abstract "Riverdance" is arguably Irish step-dancing at its best. This paper shows that it is, however, as much a stepchild of African-American tap dance as it is of the eons-long Celtic heritage. In fact, without the renaissance of African-American tap dancing between the 1960s and 1980s, it is unlikely "Riverdance" would ever have happened. African-American tap dancing, then, is at least the godparent of today's most popular dance show and a true foundation of what might be called World Dance, just as African-American music can be argued to be a strong basis for World Beat. This paper outlines the seminal events and essential figures that led directly from African-American tap dancing to "Riverdance". The method used to demonstrate the probability that "Riverdance" could not have been created were it not for African-American tap dance is to draw parallels and elucidate convergences between the ancient Irish step-dance and the African-American tap dance forms.
From the Paper "The event that began to put African American dancers back in the public eye was the Civil Rights act of 1964. 39 After that, the African American performer was not considered just an entertainer, but an artist, a full-fledged member of the mainstream of dance. 40 Although modern ballet artist Alvin Ailey was becoming famous, there was renewed interest in Master Juba, long deceased, and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who had done a "stair dance" on film with Shirley Temple in the Depression; black dancers from the 1930s and 1940s were overcoming the pejorative aspects of the old minstrel show and coming back as highly sought-after dance artists.41 "
The paper describes the role of the chorus in ancient Greek theater. It talks about the origin of the chorus and theater and how the chorus worked in the Euripides's "Hippolytus". The paper also focuses on the effect Greek theater had on modern theater.
Abstract This paper tells what the chorus brought to Greek theater and how theater was shaped because of it. The paper discusses this topic while examining one of the most famous Greek play, "Hippolytus," by Euripides. The chorus was a crucial part of theater during that time and was used to narrate the story, give their opinion of the plot, and keep a rhythm for the play. The chorus did this in various ways, such as through costumes, stage presence, music, and singing. The Greek chorus was a precursor to operas and musicals as we know them today, and the paper discusses this evolution of the chorus.
From the Paper "The chorus is essential to ancient Greek drama, and the plays at that time were greatly dependent on song and dance which the chorus performed (Ley 28). It accompanied the actors with sounds, gestures, postures, costumes, masks etc, and these flowing actions and stage elements brought the play to life. The various roles of the chorus are to narrate, give their opinions and keep the rhythm of the play. They do this through singing, movement, and stage presence. The ancient Greek theater is also important because it was the precursor to operas and musicals as we know them today. This paper will discuss the importance of the chorus' roles on the Greek stage by examining Euripides' Hippolytus and also how it influenced modern theater. To fully understand the reason for the chorus it is necessary to know the history."
Abstract This paper examines the history of Latin American music and the influence it has had on American culture, looking at the particular forms that have had the most influence as well as some of the particular personalities that have been the most influential in bringing Latin American music to the United States.
From the Paper ?It would be hard to find any area of 20th-century American pop music ? and now 21st century ? that has not been affected by Latin American music, including Tin Pan Alley, stage and film music, jazz, rhythm and blues, country music, and rock (Roberts, 1998, p. 14). The musical voices of Brazil, Cuba, and Mexico have made their way into each of these American forms, which have been influenced not only by Latin American rhythms and musical forms but also by individual musicians and bandleaders who came to play an important role in shaping American culture (Roberts, 1998, p. 19).?
Abstract The following paper discusses August Bournonville's family life, the way in which he got to be the principal for the Copenhagen Royal Theatre, as well as their ballet-master and dance teacher. It examines the way in which Bournonville took a very contrasting humanistic approach to dance ? he tended to focus on the beauty found in the ordinary things.
From the Paper ?His third daughter, Mathilde, was a teacher; his fourth daughter, Therese was a homemaker, and his son Edmond was a doctor with a successful practice in both Sweden and Denmark. Wilhelmine was the Bournonville's adopted daughter, who seemed to perhaps ease his guilt about his daughter whom he had abandoned so many years earlier in France. It is important to interject that Bournonville did keep in correspondence with the adoptive parents of his first-born daughter, and he even corresponded with her after she was on her own. He never revealed to her that he was her father, but he aided her economically at any chance that he had.?
From the Paper "The 20th century has been a period of revolution for virtually all of the arts. The classical standards of artistic expression have been studied, deconstructed and ultimately reinvented through the paintings of Pablo Picasso, Salvadore Dali, and Max Ernst, the sculpture of Constantin Brancusi, the literature of James Joyce and the music of Igor Stravinski, to name a few. With creative insight, passion and sheer artistic potency, Martha Graham earned a place among this pantheon of luminaries through her singular creation of the modern dance. In 1937, Merle Armitage compiled some of the articles written by her friends, colleagues and critics into a single volume titled Martha Graham, The Early Years. The articles, written over the first decade of her career, provide valuable insight into the contemporary perception of the importance and impact of her work."
Abstract This paper looks at the life of Isadora Duncan, a pioneer in modern dance. It discusses her early life, personal life and education. The paper then addresses how her dance style was influenced by various elements such as Greek influence and American culture. It looks at Duncan's education and how this impacted her art. The paper concludes with the status of Duncan's dance style today and the existance of the Isadora Duncan Dance Ensemble.
From the Paper "Isadora Duncan is recognized as one of the pioneers of modern dance as it is known today. Since childhood she had loved poetry, beauty and rhythm. She had a large amount of practical common sense juxtaposed with a dreaming quality, inherited from her father. As her childhood was marked by poverty, Duncan hated reality, and was a rebel (Dickson, 2001). This was all worsened by her parents? divorce and her mother's insistence that her father was practically subhuman. Furthermore Isadora's mother disavowed their faith and accepted atheism. The child's confusion was heightened by the fact that when she met her father, he was a charming, lovable man. This resulted in the fact that Isadora never lost her contempt for the institution of marriage as she had grown up with it."
Abstract Discusses contributions to dance, popular dances of the past, and female trend setters in African-American dance, including Aida Overton Walker and Katherine Dunham and her ballet group.
From the Paper "African-Americans are credited with having been highly influential in shaping the history of dance in the United States. Since the introduction of the "cakewalk" launched social dancing in the 1800s, African-Americans ..."
Abstract Because Flamenco evolved over centuries of time in Southern Spain, historians are uncertain about the exact origins of Flamenco dance. However, Flamenco undoubtedly grew out of gypsy traditions, which had their origins in Indian and Middle Eastern cultures. The paper traces the origins of this dance form in gypsy culture and shows how it ultimately meshed with Spanish dance forms to become a symbol of Spanish dance.
From the Paper "Performed mostly for family gatherings and cultural festivals, early Flamenco was not considered to be a specifically Spanish art form, as it is today. Rather, Flamenco was the express domain of gypsy culture in Southern Spain, symbolizing the uniquely colorful character and emotional quality of that much maligned group of people. Flamenco dance might have also incorporated elements from Jewish and Moorish cultures that existed in Spain, cultures that were persecuted alongside the gypsies."
This paper explores the history of the Hula dance and describes how the Hula maiden, with hips swaying in the breeze, has become a legendary symbol of Hawaii.
Abstract The writer of this paper details the history of the Hula dance and its significance as a ritual of religion, celebration, mourning and communication. This brief, yet concise paper, examines how, in ancient times, dancers were selected for hula training in childhood, spending their formative years under the care of a hula master, separated from the outside world and dedicated to the goddess Laka, patron of the hula. Hawaii's history of births, deaths, loves and battles were expressed in the Hula dance. The writer also details the accompanying music and melodic poetry, to which the dancer's swayed, which include the double-gourd drum, called ipu heke.
From the Paper "The history of births, deaths, loves, and battles of the people were preserved in chants and dance. Since Hawaii's history was recorded as dance, "hula dancers were expected to remember and repeat every dance step perfectly and under punishment of death," for "to change the dance was to change history." Hula was the written word for ancient Hawaiians, told through the movements of the dancers' feet, hands, and body movements. Through dance, stories were told, genealogies were kept, and beliefs were shared and imposed, thus to change the steps would be to change the message."
Tags: dance, history, hawaii, culture, ritual, communication
Abstract This paper looks at how the Sundance ritual is an ancient and primitive pain ritual, designed to test men's bravery and ability to withstand piercing and dancing in the sun for four days without food, water, or rest in exchange for the protection of the Great Spirit and how it is an individual ordeal of sacrifice, discipline, and spiritual awareness. In particular, the paper examines how the dance has become more spiritual and even political due to the current circumstances of its practitioners, namely a very marginalized group of indigenous people living in conditions of poverty and suffering from a number of problems such as alcoholism and loss of group identity due to assimilation pressures and political oppression.
From the Paper "The Sun Dance itself is four days long and takes place in early summer, but is prepared for throughout the year. The sacred tree that forms the central pole is selected as soon as the prior Sun Dance ends, and is continually prepared until the ritual. The entire community takes part in various aspects of the ritual, including women and children, although only men are pierced. On each of the four days, chants to the four directions are performed, healings are performed, and those who have pledged are pierced and tied to the central pole until their flesh gives way. Although they do retain the practice of flesh offerings, they no longer fast the entire time, but only from midnight to noon. "
Abstract The paper describes kinesthesiology as a branch of physics dedicated to the physics involved in movement. It shows that several scientists of note contributed to this field including Aristotle, who applied geometry to the acts of walking, running and jumping. The paper describes that as a dancer moves across the stage force is transferred from one element to another. This paper explores the body mechanics involved in all phases of the ballet leap, called the jete?.
Table of contents
Introduction
Phases of the Jete?
Analysis of the Muscles Involved
Analysis of the Injuries Prone to the Movement
From the Paper "The landing phase of the leap is by far the most dangerous. If the body is not positioned properly to absorb the impact, injuries could be extensive, particularly if they cause a fall. Every part of the body is at risk in a fall situation. Injuries could be more severe involving broken bones, especially in the ankle and foot of the leading leg. If a fall is involved bruising could result."
